diff --git a/lib/platform/github/index.js b/lib/platform/github/index.js
index 8e958d3b01..8614091f20 100644
--- a/lib/platform/github/index.js
+++ b/lib/platform/github/index.js
@@ -404,34 +404,30 @@ async function branchExists(branchName) {
 
 async function getAllRenovateBranches(branchPrefix) {
   logger.trace('getAllRenovateBranches');
-  try {
-    const allBranches = (await get(
-      `repos/${config.repository}/git/refs/heads/${branchPrefix}`,
-      {
-        paginate: true,
-      }
-    )).body;
-    return allBranches.reduce((arr, branch) => {
-      if (branch.ref.startsWith(`refs/heads/${branchPrefix}`)) {
-        arr.push(branch.ref.substring('refs/heads/'.length));
-      }
-      if (
-        branchPrefix.endsWith('/') &&
-        branch.ref === `refs/heads/${branchPrefix.slice(0, -1)}`
-      ) {
-        logger.warn(
-          `Pruning branch "${branchPrefix.slice(
-            0,
-            -1
-          )}" so that it does not block PRs`
-        );
-        arr.push(branch.ref.substring('refs/heads/'.length));
-      }
-      return arr;
-    }, []);
-  } catch (err) /* istanbul ignore next */ {
-    return [];
-  }
+  const allBranches = (await get(
+    `repos/${config.repository}/git/refs/heads/${branchPrefix}`,
+    {
+      paginate: true,
+    }
+  )).body;
+  return allBranches.reduce((arr, branch) => {
+    if (branch.ref.startsWith(`refs/heads/${branchPrefix}`)) {
+      arr.push(branch.ref.substring('refs/heads/'.length));
+    }
+    if (
+      branchPrefix.endsWith('/') &&
+      branch.ref === `refs/heads/${branchPrefix.slice(0, -1)}`
+    ) {
+      logger.warn(
+        `Pruning branch "${branchPrefix.slice(
+          0,
+          -1
+        )}" so that it does not block PRs`
+      );
+      arr.push(branch.ref.substring('refs/heads/'.length));
+    }
+    return arr;
+  }, []);
 }
 
 async function isBranchStale(branchName) {